Asda Evacuated As Sections Of Ceiling Cave In During Thunderstorm

An Asda in Greater Manchester had to be evacuated after sections of the ceiling began caving in during a thunderstorm.

Footage shows water pouring into the aisles of the supermarket in Rochdale as parts of the ceiling tumble to the ground.

The collapse occurred amid thunderstorms and heavy rain showers across Greater Manchester.

Dale Shore - who was shopping in the store at the time - said he'd 'never seen anything like it'.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he said: "It was like something out of a film. It was crazy.

"We were on one of the aisles and I heard this water. It was coming through the roof, then the next thing we knew everything was falling in.

"There were tiles falling down everywhere. It was mental.

Facebook/Dale Shore

"The security guard told us to follow him, but then a bit of the ceiling fell down and nearly hit him on the head. It just missed him.

"The tiles were falling down everywhere so the security guard put us in a back room, but then the water was seeping under the door and the boy started panicking so we just made a dash for it.

"We literally ran out of the store. I've never seen anything like it. I couldn't believe my eyes."

Fortunately, an Asda spokesperson confirmed that no injuries had been reported, adding that the store would remain closed until it was safe for customers to return.

The turbulent weather has resulted in a number of unusual occurrences across the country today. As well as a collapsing Asda, photographers have also captured rare snaps of lightning and rainbows lighting up the sky simultaneously.

The incredible - and unusual - dual weather phenomenon has occurred over the Midlands area over the past few days, after the hot weather much of the UK enjoyed gave way to some pretty explosive electrical storms.

In theory, it shouldn't be that rare to see this sort of thing, as rainbows occur when raindrops refracts through droplets of water in the sky. But to actually grab a photograph of the two in action together is difficult.

Not only do you have to rely on the showers being pretty isolated - which means there are pockets of sunshine knocking about, too - you need to get the sun at the correct angle to expose the rainbow in the sun against the backdrop of the ominous thunder clouds.

Topics: Weather, UK News, Asda

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey